


Spring Fling

by forever (BeautifulIllusion)



Category: Candy Candy
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, Romantic Comedy, Spring fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-02
Updated: 2014-10-25
Packaged: 2018-02-22 13:11:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2509040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautifulIllusion/pseuds/forever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Candy is beyond furious to find out that her birthday party has been turned into a surprised engagement party for her. So what does she do next? She sneaks out of it, of course, only to cross paths with… A skunk? Can her day get any worse than this?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Lakewood Estate was in full bloom in early May with spring painting a magnificent panorama on its trail. Blossoming roses, daffodils, tulips, peonies, azaleas, violets, gardenias, and many other variety of flowers all competed to display their vibrant spectrum of colorful petals, inviting honeybees and hummingbirds to fly by and feast upon the sweet nectar. The afternoon sun shone brightly above the blue sky with wispy groups of clouds passing through occasionally. The breeze blew gently, permeating the surroundings air with floral fragrance from the blooming garden. The peaceful and serene ambiance outside in the garden was in striking contrast to the hustle and bustle inside the grand mansion as a party was running in full swing . The sounds of chatter and laughter with music playing in the background reverberated throughout out the many quarters of the opulent villa as guests, dressed in their finest apparels, mingled around in pleasant conversations.

Away from the liveliness inside the mansion, a petite female figure was virtually hidden from plain view by the verdant canopy of trees in the woodland area of the estate. After verifying that the branch was sturdy enough to sustain her full weight, Candy released a deep sigh in between heavy panting and carefully settled herself to sit on a branch on a tall oak tree.

She reclined her back against the stout trunk and lifted her dangling legs, stretching them out along the branch. Her breathing rate had gradually dissipated to normal. To climb to where she was now had not been an easy feat, especially with the gown that had only made the task ten times more challenging. Ultimately, after being poked by sharp thin branches several times, enduring shallow cuts on her palms from being scraped against the rough scales on the bark, and narrowly missing a free fall when she had stepped on a weak tree limb, she had managed to make it to the upper section of the crown.

Running her hand against the smooth, silky material of her gown, she became aware of the terrible state of it, which was completely ruined with a few visible long slits that were caused from tearing that happened whenever the delicate material was caught by the pointy end of twigs. Despite the strenuous physical activity that she had just partaken, it was sort of miraculous that the intricate French Chignon had stayed intact at the back of her head. Her aunt would have a fit for sure, and she would be guaranteed a long night of listening to her admonition. But that should be the last thing on her mind right now. In the mean time, she should enjoy this quiet solitary moment that could very well turn into her very last moment of freedom.

A gentle cooling breeze blew against the hot sweaty skin on her face as her eyes scanned the scenery before her. The view was breathtaking from up where she sat. She could see the mansion standing proud a great distance away. The impressive-sized building appeared miniature in size now. Even from far away, she could still see the flurry of activities being carried out by the servants moving back and forth outside the mansion. She shivered in repugnance imagining herself still being trapped inside the mansion, where she would stand stiff on her high heels, straining a perpetual polite smile on her face while listening to endless blather. She quickly expelled the unappealing images out of her mind. For the moment, at least, she was free from feeling suffocated being forced to act like a true lady.

 _It’s supposed to be my birthday party for goodness sake._ Much to her dismay, her aunt and her aunt’s long time friend had managed to turn it into a surprised engagement party for her. Her aunt, who was also her legal guardian, didn’t even have the courtesy to ask her first. Wasn’t she supposed to be the birthday girl? _This will go down in history as my worst birthday ever._ To make it worse than it had already been, her so-called best friends, Annie Brighton and Patty O’Brien had not been supportive at all and even had the gall to lecture her to be grateful and stop acting like a brat. _Some friends they are!_ That had been the last straw for her. Feeling betrayed, angry and desperate, she began to formulate a plan to sneak out of the room where she had been confined in. It had been challenging to make her escape as she knew nothing about the floor plan of the huge mansion. She had finally succeeded when she inadvertently discovered an inconspicuous route that apparently was used exclusively by the servants.

Candy let out a long sigh of frustration and threw the back of her head back against the stump of the tree, her eyes closing to a shut. She should not be the one to complain. It was not like she hadn’t known that this would happen one day. It had been planned from the very beginning, since they day she was born. Just like any other women that were born into a prestigious family, her destiny had been predetermined for her. She would marry a man of distinct pedigree to produce an heir for him and would spend the rest of her life looking primped and proper, joining the rank of high society ladies to attend events and charities. But unlike other women from the upper class, before she was married, she did not need to frequent elite social events and gatherings and had therefore been mostly absent from such galas and balls. The reason was because she didn’t need to parade in front of potential suitors to ‘market’ herself since the man that she would call husband had been decided for her.

Apparently, before she was even born, her future had already been firmly set in stone by her parents. And it was only her duty as a devoted daughter to honor and fulfill her deceased parents’ will and wishes, even if it meant marrying a man of their choice. A tragic accident that had claimed the lives of her parents had occurred at the time when she was still learning to walk. Ever since then, she had been under the care of her recently widowed aunt, the only living blood relative from her mom’s side, and had lived with her till the current time in her aunt’s private estate in Pony Hill. While living with her aunt, from early on, she had been molded and groomed to become a proper lady worthy to marry a man from a noble lineage, just like her beloved father had been, but her free spirited streak had only brought headaches to her aunt, who had to hire and switch tutors practically every week until the indomitable Miss Jenkins appeared.

As Candy was about to recall her days with her favorite instructor, she felt something soft move against her bare forearm, startling her out of her reminiscing. The next thing she knew, that something had landed on her lap as she felt its weight pressing down on her thighs. She froze on her spot unmoving, her breath hitching in her throat. And that thing, whatever it was, was very much alive as she felt it waggle on her legs. Luckily, she was not one that suffered from a debilitating condition known as animal phobia like Miss Crawford, her other tutor, who would have fainted by now. But to have an unknown creature settle on her lap out of the blue was not something she was accustomed to. Nervously, she lowered her head with her eyes still tightly shut and trained the rest of her body parts to remain still. She heaved a sigh of relief as she eliminated the fact that it could be a creepy, devious looking snake since a snake should neither have fur nor paws. Opening her eyes slightly, she squinted an eye to take a peek at what had decided to interrupt her moment of solitude.

“EEEeeeekkkkk!” she involuntarily let out a loud shriek as soon as her sight fell on a bushy tail that was black with white stripes.

The sound caused the small animal that was on her legs to react instantly. It turned around to face her and stood on its hind legs with its round innocent eyes staring back at her, assessing her curiously while its tail looping around its body.

 _A skunk?_ Her eyes went double in size upon recognizing the small creature standing erect on her lap. It wasn’t a snake but still could be just as horrible.

Candy chanted to herself to keep calm while attempted her best not to make any sudden movement to scare the animal off since provoking it would only lead to a detrimental result. The last thing she wanted to happen to her was to be sprayed by a skunk on her birthday. As she weighed the options of what to do next, she heard a voice yelling.

“Pouppe!”

The skunk bounced off her lap abruptly and moved away from her by catapulting itself in a small jump onto a thinner branch across from her. Candy then shifted away from the trunk of the tree and pivoted halfway on her spot to sit with her legs hanging off the branch. The furry creature slowly made its way back toward her, taking tiny steps tentatively. Then, it stopped to sit right beside her.

The sound of rustling leaves diverted her attention from the animal. From her new sitting position, she could see the top of someone’s head, presumably belonged to the one who had just called out the funny name, ascending closer and closer toward her. The man, as she had guessed from the deep baritone shouting voice earlier, seemed to be an avid climber just like her or maybe even a tad better than her. It didn’t take long before the man reached her spot as her eyes caught the sight of his big hand on the branch.

The next thing she saw was his hair that was also blond like hers but had a darker hue to it. Then, as he pulled himself up, their eyes met, and she was instantly transfixed by the pair of blue orbs, feeling as if she was looking right into a bright blue sky on a sunny day only that it wasn’t the sky she was gazing at. She didn’t even realize that she had been gawking at the stranger until she was propelled out of her trance by his voice.

“Oh, hello there,” he greeted warmly and averted his eyes from her startled ones to glance at the skunk that sat quietly next to her before bringing his attention back to look at her. “You seem to have found my pet, and I must say that she looks to be quite fond of you.”

Then, under her bewildered gaze, the stranger just lowered himself to sit down with ease on the narrow space that was sandwiched between her and the huge trunk of the tree, as if it was the most normal thing to do in any given time.

“Your pet?” she asked in disbelief, gesturing with her thumb toward the animal. “The skunk?” She thought that the man must be mad for taking a skunk as a pet. _Who in their right minds would do such a thing? Why couldn’t he just get a dog or a cat instead?_

The man quickly explained, “Oh don’t worry – she’s rather tame. I can assure you that she is as friendly as a kitten.” His eyes drifted to his pet skunk. The animal seemed to prepare to have its afternoon nap as it stretched its body before it lowered itself on its stomach to lie in a curling position, its forelimbs acting as a pillow for the small head.

While the blond woman seemed to deliberate whether to believe him or not, the man observed her quietly. The slight slanting of her eyebrow showed him that she questioned the validity of his words. He then let his eyes travel to her partially tattered dress. “By the way, what are you doing up here?” he asked with mild curiosity reflected in his eyes as he clearly didn’t expect to see someone like her to be lounging on top of a tree.

Candy’s face contorted into a scowl with her arms folded against her chest. “Shouldn’t I be the one who is more entitled to ask that question, mister? I was here first,” she responded with an air of defiance.

The brash remark stunned him into speechlessness for a brief period before the kind smile was back on his face. “My apology, young lady. You are absolutely right. Forgive me.” He made a slight bow with his head to express his remorse.

“Young lady?” she retorted in clear displeasure. “For your information. I am twenty-one, mister.”

The man quickly put his hand over his mouth to hide the amused grin on his face. Clearing his throat, he removed his hand from his face. “I apologize for my rudeness again, miss.” He dipped his head into another bow.

From his refined speech and manner, Candy was absolutely certain now that he was not a straying hobo who had trespassed the Andrews’ property. _Could he be one of the guests from the party?_ But, even though he did appear decent, donning a white shirt and black trousers, his attire was too casual for the formal party. Other than being the owner of a skunk, she knew nothing else about him. “So what are you doing up here?” she hurriedly asked before he could say anything else.

He appeared baffled by the question. Taking a quick glimpse at her, he contemplated on how to reply before telling her, “If you’re referring to why I’m up on the tree, that’s because I’m trying to retrieve my pet.” Leaning his upper body forward, he glanced at his pet and discovered that the skunk was fast asleep. “If you’re asking why I’m away from the mansion, then the answer is because I hate parties.” He reverted his attention back to her. “Now, how about you?”

So, her speculation had been correct – he was indeed a guest. Averting her eyes from his, she sneered and replied in an impetuous manner, “Same. I hate parties.”

An amused smile escaped from his lips upon hearing her blunt response. “What a coincidence! We’re two party haters who like to climb trees,” he declared while letting out a small laugh.

“Hey! I-“

Whatever she was about to say was muffled against the hand on her mouth. She sent a threatening glare at the owner of the hand that covered her mouth. He signaled to her with his finger to be silent as he removed his hand away from her face slowly and pointed his finger downward toward the ground. She threw him a dubious look before bending her body forward and tilting her head to look down, and immediately became aware that she and the man with his pet skunk were no longer alone in the woods. In silence, they watched what was taking place below from their sitting spot high above the tree. She could not clearly see the faces belonging to the four men who were loitering on the ground below and had to strain her ears to hear their voices. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that her companion was listening attentively and decided to follow suit, directing her full attention toward the ongoing conversation underneath them.

“Where do you think he ran off to?” asked the man with blond hair.

“Who knows? He could be anywhere in this vast estate,” another man with blond hair, who stood close to the base of the tree where Candy and her companion were, replied.

“You’re kidding me right?” the third person with a reddish brown hair responded in a whining tone. “I cannot believe that she asked us to do this for her. Why can’t she send George instead?”

Then the blond man standing by the tree scolded the whining man, “Quit complaining, will you! You and your sister are just the same. You can just go back to the mansion if that’s what you want. We can manage just fine without you pestering us around.”

“Let’s check the stable!” The fourth person, whose hair was the darkest among the four, jumped in quickly, seemingly in an effort to defuse the building tension between the blond man and the whiny man.

“Good thinking, Stear,” replied the other blond man to the dark-haired man, whose name was apparently Stear, as he approached Stear and patted his back. Soon, three from the group of four started to walk away.

“Hey! Wait for me!” the whiny man yelled out, scampering to catch up to his company.

Candy and her companion sat still and waited patiently for a few moments. Once the voices from the four men faded away completely, they both sighed loudly in relief and faced each other. Then, without Candy asking him, the man went ahead to reveal the reason why he had wanted them to remain quite just now. “I apologize if my behavior was a bit inappropriate earlier. It’s just that based on our previous conversation I could safely assume that we both share the same sentiment about the party. If anybody sees us here, they will surely want to know why we’re here and -“

“You don’t need to explain – I understand,” she interposed, stopping him short, and quickly added in an ironic tone, “I rather sit between a strange man and a skunk on top of a tall oak tree than go back to the party.”

“That bad, huh?” This time the man didn’t bother to even attempt to stifle his laughter, and the sound of his laughing had awakened the sleeping skunk. It opened its eyes lazily but decided not to change its lying position or move away from her spot.

At first, Candy was miffed at him for openly laughing at her, but when she recalled what she had just said, she felt that her words perfectly described the current absurd situation she was in. In the end, she couldn’t help but break into stream of giggles. As their laughter finally subsided, they simultaneously turned their heads toward each other, and their eyes met in an affable gaze.

“So miss – what’s your name, if you don’t mind me asking?”

She turned her head away from him and ruminated what to tell him for a brief moment. She then decided to give out her nickname. “Um- Ca… Candy,” she faltered before repeating her answer more clearly, “my name is Candy.”

“Candy…” he echoed in a thoughtful mode. “… As in Candy candy as in sweet candy?”

“Yes… Does it sound weird?” she asked, looking at him with uncertainty reflected in her emerald eyes.

He immediately corrected her, “No! I wasn’t implying that at all. Please don’t feel offended – I wasn’t making fun of your name.” His lips curved into a gentle smile. “Actually, Candy sounds kind of sweet, and it suits you just fine,” he told her in a sincere tone.

She could only smile shyly in response, a faint red blush coloring her cheeks. _The man is a true gentleman._

“Well, Miss Candy – it’s truly a pleasure to meet you.” He paused briefly before continuing with his introduction, “I am Wil – Albert. You can call me Albert and…” He pointed to the skunk lying beside her. “…She is Pouppe.”

“Albert…” she uttered in a soft voice, “and… Poupée…” She considered the name was rather odd and unusual for a pet, but somehow it sounded familiar. Her eyes widened instantly as soon as she recognized the word and its meaning. “Poupée… Doll?”

He let out a small chuckle. “I’m impressed – it looks like you are quiet versed in your French, Miss Candy.”

She ignored his comment that she wasn’t sure was a genuine praise and proceeded to voice out her opinion, “Seriously! You named your skunk ‘doll’? Why did you do that? You are quiet an eccentric man. First, you picked a skunk as your pet, and then you named your pet ‘doll’ Why can’t you be just like any normal person and have a dog or a cat? Why a skunk? And why you named it Poupée?” Her eyes involuntarily moved toward her side where the skunk was. Her rapid prattling apparently had caused the animal to lift its head in alarm, turning it from side to side, and when it found there was no imminent danger nearby, it placed its head back to rest on its limbs without closing its eyes.

The blond man stared at her with an undisguised wonderment in his blue eyes. “Miss Candy – are you always brimming with excitement when talking to people whom you just met?” In return, she gave him a look of annoyance that he just brushed aside by continuing his talk, “Your assessment is quite accurate – I’m an eccentric man, just like you said. I am a self-proclaimed animal lover. So it doesn’t matter whether it is a skunk or a mountain lion – I love them all the same. And Pouppe? It’s just the name that popped out of my head. And for your information, I never call her ‘doll’.” He paused briefly to take a breath before saying, “I hope I have satisfied you with my answers.”

Candy didn’t know if there was anything else she could say. He certainly had replied all her questions. Unconsciously, she started to swing her legs back and forth.

As the two blonds stood in silence, a concert of flamboyant trill from birds singing entertained them.

After a few quiet moments, he carefully pushed himself up to stand to his feet and said, “Shall we, Miss Candy?”

Her legs ceased its swinging instantly as she looked at him with puzzlement in her eyes. “Where are we going?” she asked.

He shrugged lightly and suggested in a casual tone, “I’m not sure myself but anywhere is better than perching on this tree for hours, don’t you think?” Smirking playfully, he then added in jest, “You and I are clearly not descendants of birds.”

She remained speechless for a few seconds before emitting a quiet giggle. “You’re funny, Mr. Albert – I think I like you already. Okay… let’s go.” Moving swiftly, she pulled up her knees toward her and used her hands to prop herself up to stand on the branch. She knew that going down would be so much simpler than climbing up, and with that thought, she moved past him and began her slither down the tree.

***************

“Careful Miss Can…” His remark was left unfinished as what he saw next was totally beyond his expectation and caused him to be in awe. He had planned to help her, but obviously she could do fine without his assistance. Demonstrating an amazing physical agility she had descended the imposing tall tree effortlessly and reached the ground below in no time.

Waving her hands, she bellowed to him, ” Mr. Albert – are you coming down?”

Upon hearing her voice from down below, he shook himself off his half-trance state. His sight fell on his indolent furry friend and just then realized that Pouppe must be exhausted from all the climbing as she seldom clambered all the way to the top of a tree on her own since she would usually piggyback on him instead. He lifted her up, placing the creature over his shoulder, and started to make his way to move down the tree. He deftly climbed down the tree and leaped off from the last branch to make a smooth landing on the space close to where the blond woman had stood. “I don’t know that a lady like you can be an expert tree climber,” he commented while hunching slightly to let Pouppe spring off his back onto her four feet.

***************

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Candy simply answered. Then, suddenly remembering that she had taken off her high heels to facilitate her effort of climbing the tree earlier, she took small steps to circle around the tree with her head tilted downward as she searched for the pair of shoes. She would be sorely disappointed if she lost that particular pair since the shoes actually used to be owned by her beloved mother, and thus for her they were irreplaceable and exhibited immeasurable sentimental value.

While she was preoccupied with the pursuit of her precious belongings, she completely failed to notice that her blond companion had left her side and was engrossed in his own quest for something. Squatting by the nearby thicket of shrubs, he pulled two small items out of the bush with his hand as a broad smile materialized on his face. Looking satisfied, he trotted back to her. “Do these, by any chance, belong to you?” He lifted the pair of pink-colored, leather high heels in his hand, showing them to her.

She whirled around quickly to face him, and her eyes grew large upon seeing the pair of shoes in his hand. With relief written all over her face, she grabbed the shoes from him. “Where did you find them?”

“Lesson learned – if you don’t want anyone to find you, you should not leave any trail behind you.” Noticing immediately that she was not particularly interested in the topic of his jabber, he let out a rueful smile and explained properly, “I saw this pair of shoes before I climbed up the tree earlier and thought that maybe I should hide them before someone takes it.”

“Thank you… You don’t know how much this means to me,” she told him gratefully. “These shoes… ” She hugged the shoes to herself in an emotional gesture, her eyes closing briefly. “They were my mother’s…” Her soft voice lacing with melancholy trailed off as her mind took her to the past, to the time when she had been bestowed with her mother’s possessions, which had happened on her sixteenth birthday.

After a few moments of quietness had passed, she eventually realized that her companion had been very silent. As she turned her head slightly, she saw a glimpse of him and Pouppe a few feet away from her. She had only known the man for less than an hour, but her fondness toward the man kept on multiplying. Then, as her eyes traveled to look at his face, she caught sight of something green trapped between his blond tufts and strode toward him. “Um… Mr. Albert – you have something there… ” She took a step closer to him and noted right away how tall he was compared to her petite height.

He looked at her with confusion in his blue eyes, unsure of what she had alluded to. It seemed he was about to answer her but stopped right away when he saw her bend down to drop her high heels on the ground.

Impulsively, Candy took another step toward the man and raised herself on her tiptoes, stretching to reach for the small leaf on his hair. That had been her intention before she lost her balance for extending herself too far out and ungracefully crashed her body against his. The impact caused him to stagger backward slightly as her arms frantically grappled to chain around his neck while his hands moved to grip her hips in reflex.

Of their own volition, her hands traveled to his broad shoulder before they further slid downward toward his chest. She lifted her eyes to meet his and let herself being mesmerized by the pair of sapphire orbs. Besides his charming personality, she had to admit that the man possessed many attractive masculine features, and his handsome face was only one of them. She could also attest to the fact that he was not a weak man despite the slender outer appearance. The well-toned, firm muscle rippling against the soft palms of her hands was a testament to his well-built frame.

 _A man’s chest?_ As soon as Candy realized what she had just done, she felt so ashamed and mortified at her own boldness. Abruptly, she removed her hands away from him and stepped back only to trip over the shoes that she had laid on the ground earlier.

Albert immediately caught her by entwining his arms around her shoulder to steady her, drawing her closer toward him in the process. “Be careful… You don’t want to fall and ruin your beautiful gown more,” his husky voice whispered above her ear, his warm breath ghosting over her skin, causing her to shiver even with the mild temperature outside. He then released his hold on her quickly and stepped aside to create more distance between them.

She had no clue how to respond to him as her brain suddenly turned into a mush. Her face was bright red with embarrassment while she struggled to calm her racing heartbeat. Bending down to collect her shoes, her mind began to wander away. She couldn’t believe that she had just caressed a man in broad daylight. Her aunt would suffer a heart attack if she had witnessed that.

Growing up, she had minimal interactions with males of her age. Tom, a son of a wealthy farmer who lived not too far way from the Pony Hill Estate, was the only boy that was around her age that had been her friend in her childhood days. But the time when she had been free to roam the fields and hills nearby the estate to play with Tom and the children from the orphanage after sneaking out of her tutoring lessons had been short. Before her tenth birthday, her aunt had sent her off to a private all-girls boarding school in Virginia, where she had met her friends, Annie and Patty. Among the three of them, Annie, who was also her roommate during that time, had been the one that displayed the most enthusiasm in the subject of boys and dating, while she and Patty were quite indifferent about it. One time during the beginning of her senior year, they had sneaked out of the dormitory to go to town just so Annie could continue with her exploration of the male species, and that was also the time when she had met Terry.

Her reminiscing was halted when her ears caught the sound of Albert’s discrete cough, and she found herself still in a squatting position on the ground. When her eyes focused on the blond man standing in front of her, she finally realized where she was and quickly stood to her full height.

“Mr. Albert – I’m-” she began talking but her attempt was immediately intercepted.

“Miss Candy – before we leave, could I make one request?” he asked. She didn’t reply but gave him a look that encouraged him to continue. “Can you stop calling me Mr. Albert?” he implored. “Do I look that old to you for you to address me in such a polite manner?”

“Honestly?” She shook her head. “No.” A subtle pout formed on her face as she told him in a complaint, “But you keep calling me Miss Candy too.”

Understanding floated across his face at once. “Oh! You are right. That is true,” he admitted. “Well, in that case, as we’re getting better and better acquainted, should we call each other by name only then?” he suggested. “What do you think?”

A grin appeared on her face. “That is a splendid idea, _Albert_. I like that a lot.”

He chuckled lightly at her deliberate drawling of his name. “Shall we start moving then, _Candy_?” He offered his elbow to her.

Without thinking twice, she linked her free arm around his and passed him another grin. “We shall, Albert.” He returned her smile.

***************

Before long, they had advanced farther into the forest, moving in the direction toward the lake. Candy let Albert lead the way and was grateful with the fact that he had guided them to stroll through soft ground that was littered with fallen foliage, so she didn’t need to worry about ruining her priceless pair of shoes. The two of them, accompanied by his pet skunk, continued their hike across the woodland until they reached a clearing that was actually a beautiful open meadow overlooking the sparkling blue lake. The ground was covered with lush green grass that was sprinkled with abundant blooming wildflowers. Upon his suggestion, they decided to stop there.

Albert flopped down onto the fluffy bed of grass to relax, but his companions, seemingly too ecstatic to stay idle, had a different idea. With Pouppe loping along by her side, Candy ran barefoot across the meadow with her arms spread out to the sides as if she was flying, her cheerful laughter ringing loudly. She and her new fury friend continued their sprinting until the blond haired woman ran out of breath. Panting heavily, she trudged forward a couple of steps before collapsing onto a thick bed of grass with Pouppe sitting right beside her.

Albert chortled watching her and Pouppe frolicking. He just could not get tired witnessing the petite blond’s exuberant nature in action. It did appear that Candy had finally shed off her feelings of uneasiness at his pet skunk.

A scraping of grass followed by a squeak alerted him. He lowered his head down immediately to find the source of the noise and came face to face with a brown rabbit. A smile emerged on his lips. “Hey little fella,” he greeted the small creature, beckoning it to come nearer to him. The rabbit hesitated for a few seconds before it made one tiny hop toward him and stopped on its spot, looking at him with interest, its nose twitching. Albert chuckled as he raised his head to face forward, looking away from the bunny. His chuckling ceased instantly when a spotted doe and her baby came into his line of vision. The doe with her fawn tagging along beside her was munching on the patches of grass right at the outer perimeter of the forest. Feeling being watched, the doe abruptly lifted her head away from the ground and turned it toward him. All the while, the brown rabbit had bounded even closer toward him while three more of its friends had come out of their hiding place to join their friend. Soon, a pack of squirrels and raccoons appeared out of nowhere while the doe and her fawn made small steps moving away from the forest toward the meadow.

***************

Not too far away, Candy stood quietly observing Albert and his forest friends with unconcealed amazement on her face. Without making too much noise, she scooped Pouppe up into her arms and slowly made her way toward him. He hadn’t lied when he had told her that he was an avid animal lover. She could see a variety of forest animals crowded around him, being drawn to him, as if he were a magnet.

“I see that you’re having a party with your friends without inviting us. I hope you have not forgotten about us, Albert,” she told him in mock-disappointment as she stepped closer toward him.

Albert turned his head sideways to face her. “Candy-” He was about to stand up to his feet but changed his mind when he saw her stoop down to settle on the patch of grass across from him with Pouppe resting on her lap. Apparently, all the capering around earlier had drained away the skunk’s energy, causing it to become lethargic.

“You were not exaggerating when you said you really love animals,” Candy commented.

He smiled. “Well, now you can see it for yourself.”

He bent his neck backward to face the sky and then raised his hand in the air while whistling, producing a high pitch sound. She was completely in awe as she watched a small bird covered with blue feathers flying lower and lower until it made a landing to perch on the side of his index finger, chirping merrily. He glanced at her briefly before refocusing his sight on the tiny feathery creature on his hand. With a slight movement of his hand, he let the bird fly away.

“How did you do that?” she asked, her green eyes sparkling with admiration.

“Would you like to try?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Um… Yeah… Can I?”

“Just follow what I’m doing,” he instructed as he lifted his hand again.

She did exactly as he had done and waited for a few seconds. “It’s not working,” she muttered, her brows knitting together in frustration.

He chuckled. “Be patient… “

After waiting for another few moments and still without anything happening, she groused again, “It’s still not working. How come you could do it so easily, and I can’t? That’s not fair. You-” She stopped talking at once when she saw him signal her to keep quiet. Looking pleased that she had heeded him, he tilted his head to face the sky and pursed his lips, whistling a random melody. She mimicked his head’s movement and faced the sky. Soon, a flock of three birds descended toward them. One of the birds, the one with blue and yellow feathers, chose to land on her hand.

He smiled with satisfaction. “There… “

She examined the tiny creature perching on her hand with eyes that sparkled with glee. “Hello there. I’m Candy.” The bird chirped back to return her greeting, and she laughed in excitement.

It completely took her by surprise when another bird had decided to join its friend and dived to land on top of her head. Just soon after that, the third bird had made an approach toward her, settling on her head also.

Albert guffawed to see the hilarious picture of her with two birds perching on top of her head, especially when she attempted to see what was on top of her head with her green eyes looking almost crossed, her mouth making an ‘O’ shape.

Candy began to grow restless when she felt slight pricking against her scalp and moved her head from side to side to drive off her unwanted guests. The commotion caused Pouppe to rouse and saunter off her lap, and the skunk then stood on its hind legs while watching the blond woman with interest. By now, the other animals had also turned their eyes in the direction where Candy sat. A pack of raccoons had just abandoned their old post and marched their way toward her.

Candy was beyond shock to find herself being surrounded by a pack of wild raccoons looking at her with their small, beady dark eyes. “What in heavens… ” She jumped to her feet, yelping, “Albert!” Seeing that the creatures had not moved away, she concluded that the best way would be for her to make a quick getaway from them.

Watching her dash away with the raccoons tailing behind her, Albert chortled. “You don’t need to run from them, Candy. They just wanted to express their affection to you. Just like me, they think you are a very likable person,” he said in between his laughter.

***************

After more than an hour had passed since they had been at the meadow, when Candy was finally exhausted from running, chasing and being chased by her new furry friends, they began their walk to return to the mansion. This time, Albert led her through a narrow path running along the side of the lake. At her insistent plea, they made another stop at an area where the border of the lake curved outwardly toward the walkway in a convex, so the water was only a few feet away from them.

It was supposed to be a brief stop. Alas, that didn’t happen, and they ended up spending close to half an hour there, enjoying the majestic view, playing by the beach, throwing pebbles into the water, and of course, chatting. It was ironic how just a few hours before they had been nothing but strangers to each other. But now, by the way they exchanged conversations and light banters so comfortably, it appeared like they had known each other for a long time. Immense joy was clearly etched on their faces.

Before long, the sun had reached the horizon, painting over the once blue sky with a gradient of red colors, and the moon glowed faintly, peering from behind the clouds, preparing to make its full appearance soon. The chirping and tweeting sound of birds flying home to their nests echoed throughout the garden. Diligent honeybees and hummingbirds had disappeared from crowding the flower patches. The temperature had dipped a few degrees lower as the breeze blew stronger, distributing cool air around the area. With small footsteps, Albert and Candy crossed a manicured rose portal into the garden behind the mansion in companionable silence. They had returned without Pouppe since the skunk had preferred to remain in the woods. Both apparently were immersed deep within their own thoughts, and the bright countenance on their faces seemed to suggest that their minds were filled with happy thoughts.

***************

Candy still couldn’t believe how the day had turned out to be so wonderful for her. The birthday party that she had thought was nothing but a mere sham, which had been concocted by her aunt and her aunt’s friend, had ended up being not so awful after all. If there hadn’t been a party, she might have never met Albert, and her birthday would be just like any other birthdays she had had in the past.

She shook her head at herself as she reflected at what she had done today. First, she had absconded from a party that had been organized in her honor, and then during her flight she had somehow ended up in the woodland. Once she found a tall and stout oak tree that bore many lateral branches, her free spirited instinct had led her to start climbing the huge tree. Then, her solitary moment was disrupted by the sudden appearance of a skunk followed by its handsome owner not too long after that.

Now that she thought more about it, she couldn’t explain why she hadn’t felt the slightest bit threatened or intimidated spending time with Albert, who had been a total stranger to her just a couple of hours earlier. She stole a quick glimpse at him and found the answer to her question right away. She just couldn’t deny it any longer – she was attracted to him in a great way, even at the first glance. Suddenly, she felt sad as it finally dawned on her that their time together would soon come to an end. _Will we ever meet again?_

Abruptly, she stopped her steps while he continued a few steps ahead before he turned around to face her with a concerned look on his face. She gave him a small smile to reassure him and said, “Thank you, Albert. If I didn’t meet you, today would be a boring day for me.” She paused briefly, releasing a loud sigh. “It’s supposed to be my birthday, you know?” she confessed in a soft voice that was barely above a whisper. As soon as the words had slipped out of her mouth, doubt clouded her mind as she couldn’t help but feel that she might have committed a crucial mistake by telling him about her birthday.

“Your birthday?” he let out, looking mildly stupefied.

She replied with clear hesitation in her voice. “Um… Yeah… ” Avoiding his gaze, she looked down at the ground.

“You don’t happen to be Candice White, I presume?” he asked slowly after a few moment of silence.

Her head rose as she smiled sheepishly at him and answered, “The one and only…” After she had said that, she examined his face to gauge his reaction, but she couldn’t detect any change in his facial features that would indicate how he felt.

“So… ” he began. “You are the guest of honor… ” He wore a broad smile on his face without baring his teeth. “Why did you sneak out of your own birthday party, Candice?” he prodded.

Her mouths curved down into a scowl. “I’m just so mad. They, my aunt and her friend, tried to trick me. It’s my birthday but they turned it into a surprised engagement party for me.”

He raised one brow in a high arch, a faint smirk forming on his lips. “Really? Was that the reason why you ran away?”

“Um… Yeah… ” She felt a slight twinge of guilt but quickly put on a wide smile to cover that. “But I’m glad I did that since I could meet with you, Albert.”

A deep rumble of chuckle escaped from his throat. “Well, if you put it that way – that is true.” His light visage gradually changed into a more serious look. “But you don’t think you might have upset your betrothed, Candice?”

She scoffed. “There are plenty of beautiful marriageable ladies inside – I’m sure he’ll find a way to comfort himself.”

He burst into fits of laughter. “So very sure, are you?”

Ignoring his sarcastic remark, she asked, “Albert – will I ever see you again? Where do you live?” To learn more about the prospect of their so-called friendship was more appealing to her than to have a trite discussion on her engagement or her fiancé.

“Miss White-“

She interjected him, “Candy – please call me Candy.”

He continued what he was about to tell her before she had cut him short earlier, “I won’t lie to you, Candy – I have truly enjoyed spending time with you. But it’s getting late, and you should get back soon before they send a search party to look for you.” He paused briefly, and then with a tender smile on his face, he told her, “Since it’s your birthday, it will be awfully rude of me if I don’t give you a birthday present, don’t you think?”

She was aware that he hadn’t answered her question about meeting again and wasn’t sure whether that had been a deliberate act or not. “Albert – I love presents. But I understand if you-“

With his two fingers barely touching her lips for a split second, he interrupted her, “Could you please close your eyes, Candy.”

She was still reeling from the effect evoked by his fingertips on her lips and could only manage a mumble, “Huh?”

He must have thought she had not comprehended him and immediately clarified, “I’m going to give you a gift, but you have to close your eyes. I promise I won’t do anything that will hurt you.” He passed her a look of assurance.

It was beyond her imagination that she would receive her first birthday gift from someone that she had just befriended a few hours ago. She hesitated for a moment before finally acquiescing, “Okay…” Smiling at him, she closed her eyes completely and could see nothing but darkness.

After a few seconds of stillness, she could hear the sound of his footsteps moving closer toward her. Then, she felt his hand loop around her wrist gently as he raised her hand up to about her chest high and turned it clockwise halfway to make her palm facing up. As she heard a small tinkling sound, she felt a small item being deposited onto her palm. _A bell? What is he actually giving me?_ Following that, her fingers were carefully furled to wrap around the object on her hand, and her partially closed hand was then enclosed entirely under his big hand.

The pacing of her heartbeat steadily intensified with each passing second as she anticipated him to say something. _What is he waiting for?_ When she thought that she should probably just open her eyes, she sensed him leaning over her as the mild scent of a male fragrance wafted into her nostrils, invading her senses.

Then, in a moment that took her breath away, she felt his moist lips brush gently against the smooth skin on her cheekbone. “Happy birthday, sweet Candy. I promise I will give you a more proper gift next time we meet,” his deep voice finally murmured, his warm breath floating across the cool skin on her face. A second later, the warm feeling that had embraced her body and soul was gone.

A gush of cool evening air beat on her face as she slowly emerged from her stupor. His parting words re-echoed in her mind. _Next time we meet?_

“Albert!” she shouted, her eyes flying open.

She gyrated on her spot making two full revolutions, her eyes sweeping the scenery before her, but there was no sign of him anywhere as far as her eyes could see. It was as if he had vanished completely. But she knew for sure that he couldn’t be an apparition, and the gift in her hand was the solid proof along with the tingling on the skin where his lips had touched.

She opened her hand and looked down at the badge on her palm. Her brain discerned the distinct insignia on the badge at once. _He is an Andrew? Albert is an Andrew?_ Albert Andrew. She didn’t remember there was an Albert Andrew in the Andrews’ family. Could she be mistaken? Suddenly, as different scenes from her earlier adventure flashed in her mind, she slapped her temple lightly. Of course, he had to be an Andrew. How could she not notice it before? _I must have become inept overnight._ He clearly knew his way well around the Lakewood Estate. And she seriously doubted that any guest could just walk in freely into a formal event bringing a pet, let alone a skunk. But why would he give away his badge to her?

The sound of a door being opened ceased her train of thoughts instantly. Her lips curved upward into a full smile at the thought that Albert might have returned to bid her a proper goodbye. But her moment of joy was killed instantaneously as she heard her aunt’s familiar reprimanding tone.

“Where have you been, Candice? You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady.”

Her aunt’s non-cordial greeting served as a cold reminder that her short escapade had ended. Now was the time to face the music. After taking a deep breath, Candy pivoted on her heel to face her aunt, who stood in the verandah looking mildly angry. “I’m sorry aunt, ” she told her aunt, dipping her head low to express regret.

Aunt Mary shook her head in exasperation. “You’re going to be the death of me child. Come – we shall leave right now,” Aunt Mary informed. “I don’t want to upset Madam Elroy anymore today and cause her blood pressure to jump. You can apologize to her in a later time.” Without waiting for Candy to answer, Aunt Mary spun around quickly and walked away, her gown swaying behind her.

Hoping to find a familiar tall figure, Candy swiveled her head to look over her shoulder one more time and surveyed the landscape with her eyes, but much to her dismay, she saw nothing but the deserted garden. If it had not been for the badge in her hand, she would think that everything that had happened had only been a dream. _It’s certainly not a dream. Maybe it’s a fling, a spring fling, but not a dream for sure._ She squeezed the badge in her hand before whirling her head back to face the front. With a defeated sigh, she trudged to trail after her aunt, heading to the car that would take them back to Pony Hill.

Unbeknownst to Candy, a pair of blue eyes had been watching and following her every moves and had continued with the surveillance until the car that was occupied by her had disappeared into the horizon. A tall blond man then stepped out of the shadowy place and whispered, “Till we meet again, sweet Candy.” A wistful smile gradually materialized on his face.

**To Be Continued  
**

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story is also available in Spanish (All thanks to my dear friend, Keila Nott)
> 
> As always, my heartfelt gratitude goes to my lovely beta readers for their invaluable suggestions and comments.
> 
> The beautiful fanart of Albert and Candy is a nice visual for this fiction. I thank the lovely and talented Valeriya for allowing me to share her magnificent work here.


	2. Chapter 2

As Candy had expected, Aunt Mary had admonished and lectured her for hours even after they had gone back to their house from the party. The days following her birthday had been mostly uneventful.

There had been more than one occasion in which she had caught herself staring at Albert’s badge, reliving the heart pounding moment and rehashing his parting words over and over again in her mind. Her obsession had risen to a rather unhealthy level. She realized that she definitely should stop her daydreaming now since she was, after all, an engaged woman even though her engagement had not been formalized yet. Albert being an Andrew still wouldn’t be able to release her from the chain that had bound her since she was born. But his smiling face and his captivating blue eyes just wouldn’t leave her alone, and nothing she did seemed to work to drive off his image.

Nearly a week after the party in Lakewood had passed with nothing that could truly enlighten her melancholic mood, and then Friday came. On that Friday afternoon, a letter that was addressed to her arrived. She was overjoyed to see the Andrews’ crest emblazoned on the back of the envelope and thought right away that Albert had written to her. But, much to her dismay, it wasn’t from him. The letter was from Madam Elroy instead, formally inviting her and her aunt to come to the Andrews’ Mansion in Chicago and to spend next weekend there.

Her aunt was, of course, thrilled to have received the invitation and immediately planned their trip, but it wasn’t quite the same for her as she had mixed feelings about it. While she still hadn’t made up her mind on how she should feel about meeting the Andrews in their Chicago’s mansion, her aunt delivered the news that her engagement party would take place next month. Yes – this time around, whether she liked it or not, the date and the venue for the event had finally been set.

Time flew as another week had passed with nothing but a list of mundane activities for her to do in preparation for her formal engagement. She had to accept that this was truly the end and had to purge any thoughts of another man that was not her future husband out of her mind, yet she couldn’t extinguish the tiny flicker of hope in her heart – the hope that she might see Albert in the Andrews’ Estate in Chicago. And she knew that this surely would be her last chance to meet him before her engagement became official.

*******************

And finally, the day for the trip to Chicago had arrived.

Sitting beside her aunt on the backseat of a moving car that would take them to the Andrews’ Mansion, Candy turned her head away from the window and looked down at her hands resting on her lap. The trip from her aunt’s estate to Chicago had taken almost the whole day, and her aunt’s incessant rambling had accompanied her practically since the moment they had departed Pony Hill early in the morning and nearly through the entire train ride. Thankfully, Aunt Mary had finally stopped once they were inside the car.

When she noticed the car slow down in front of a tall wrought iron gate that undoubtedly would lead into the Andrews’ Estate, she released a long sigh to alleviate the rising tension within her. After a short drive on a street that was lined with elegantly manicured tall cypress trees, the driver maneuvered the car into a circular driveway and brought the car into a complete stop right at the main entrance of an enormous building that was even more impressive in size and architectural details compared to the Lakewood Mansion. A moment later, the car door was opened for them by the Andrews’ chauffeur.

As Candy was about to exit the vehicle, her aunt tapped her shoulder lightly. Candy turned her head to the side to face her aunt as Aunt Mary’s authoritative voice rang loudly in her ears.

“I hope you know your place now and will conduct your manner at your absolute best. Madam Elroy has kindly invited us to stay over the weekend in their Chicago’s mansion in spite of the vanishing spectacle that you had pulled through in Lakewood last time. I sure hope that you won’t disappoint me this time.” Her aunt stopped her talk briefly and sent her a warning look before adding, “I believe you don’t want to bring shame to your parents’ name. Am I right, Candice?”

“Yes, aunt.” Candy nodded her head in a resigned affirmation. “I promise I will behave appropriately this time.”

Satisfied with the answer, her aunt passed Candy an appreciative smile. They both then made their way to the opened front door, and from the threshold they could see Madam Elroy, dressed in her immaculate long gown, had just crossed the foyer and moved closer toward them with quick steps. Apparently, the lady of the house herself would personally welcome them.

“Mary-” Madam Elroy approached Aunt Mary and exchanged greeting kisses with her.

“Good afternoon, Madam Elroy” Candy greeted formally, moving her head down in a reverent bow.

Upon seeing the display of proper manner, Madam Elroy smiled pleasantly at Candy and replied, “Good afternoon.” She reached out her hand to pat Candy’s hand lightly. “You should address me as aunt, Candice, since we’re practically a family. You are my god niece after all.”

Candy wasn’t sure how to respond to the request and stole a glance at Aunt Mary for guidance, but her aunt pretended as if she couldn’t see her pleading eyes. With hesitation in her voice, she finally said, “Um… certainly, a… aunt.”

“That’s better,” Aunt Elroy affirmed. Then, she shifted her attention to Candy’s aunt, “How are you, Mary? How was the trip?”

“I’m fine, Elroy. The trip was wonderful. Thank you very much for inviting us here,” Aunt Mary replied with a polite smile.

A faint chortle slipped out of Aunt Elroy’s mouth. “Don’t mention it, Mary. It’s my pleasure. We love to have you both here. This is Candice’s first time visiting the mansion – am I right? “

“Indeed, ” replied Aunt Mary briefly before directing her focus away from Aunt Elroy to glance at her blond niece. “Candice – don’t you have something you want to say to Ma-Aunt Elroy, dear?”

Candy knew right away what Aunt Mary had alluded to. In a contrite gesture, she dipped her head lower than before, when she had made her greeting bow earlier, and said, “Ma – Aunt Elroy. Please forgive me for my impudent behavior in Lakewood. I assure you that will never happen again.” She slowly raised her head back up to face Aunt Elroy.

Aunt Elroy took a deep breath. “It is fine, Candice. I-“

The sound of loud laughter and chatter truncated Aunt Elroy’s response.

As her hearing caught the voices, Candy couldn’t ignore the feelings that somehow the voices sounded familiar to her ears. She grew curious and couldn’t wait to be introduced to the owners of the voices.

“Pardon me, Candice-” With pent-up irritation, Aunt Elroy forced out a smile and excused herself, taking a couple of steps toward the direction of the voices inside the mansion. Aunt Elroy let out a cough, but that didn’t seem to work to attract the attention of the noisemakers as they continued on with their chitchat merrily.

“Um hum… ” Aunt Elroy made a louder gruff sound. This time she appeared to be successful as it suddenly became silent before a loud startled yelp could be heard.

“Aunt Elroy!”

“Oh! Our guests are here already,” another voice remarked.

Aunt Elroy pivoted on her heel to face her and Aunt Mary, who were still standing by the threshold of the front door, and beckoned for them to come toward her in the foyer. All the while, two young men stepped slowly to stand next to Aunt Elroy. “Mary, Candice – may I present to you my two nephews,” Aunt Elroy announced and gestured with her hand to point at each of the persons she was referring to. “Allistair Cornwell and his brother, Archibald Cornwell.”

A dark haired man with glasses perching on his nose stepped forward. “How do you do, Miss Candice?” he greeted her politely. “Please, call me Stear,” he added in a friendly tone before making a small bow at her aunt. “Mrs. White.”

Before Candy had a chance to reply, his brother, who had straight blond hair, commented, “So – we finally have the pleasure to meet the famous, runaway birthday girl. I hope you’re not planning to make another escape this time, Miss Candice.” He winked at Candy playfully before smoothly saying, “By the way, the name is Archie.” Then he turned to Candy’s aunt, dipping his head into a slight bow. “How do you do, Mrs. White?”

Candy certainly didn’t expect to hear something as brazen as what she had just heard to be spoken in front of Aunt Elroy. Yet, she found the remark to be rather funny and had to suppress a giggle down her throat by pressing her lips tightly.

“Archibald!” Aunt Elroy sent Archie a disapproving glare. Then, without letting him say anything else, Aunt Elroy quickly asked, “Where is Anthony?”

“Here I am,” a voice suddenly replied as a blond, blue-eyed man made his way to approach them.

When Candy’s eyes fell on Anthony, she thought she was seeing someone else’s shadow. The resemblance was uncanny. Her eyes followed the blond man as he made his way to stand right next to Aunt Elroy.

“I apologize for the delay, aunt,” said the blond man, kissing his aunt’s cheek lightly.

“It is fine, Anthony,” Aunt Elroy answered and then turned her head toward her and Aunt Mary. “Mary, Candice – here is my other nephew, Anthony Brown.”

Anthony spun halfway to face the her and Aunt Marry as he stepped closer to her. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Candice.” His eyes met hers in a gaze as they exchanged a friendly smile, and he then turned toward her aunt, bowing slightly. “Mrs. White.”

 _No. It’s not him – he is not Albert._ Even though Anthony and Albert shared many similar physical features, such as the color of their eyes and hair, Candy could tell that he and Albert were not the same person. Albert’s voice was deeper, and he was at least several inches taller. Furthermore, their smiles were different – Albert had a charming smile that could easily dazzle her. She had just then realized that Albert was not there among them. Was it possible that Albert was Anthony’s older brother, and for some specific reason he just couldn’t be here right now?

“If you are looking for William – he is not here yet. There is an urgent matter that needs to be resolved at the main office – but he should arrive anytime now,” Aunt Elroy suddenly informed, startling Candy out of her thoughts. The older woman curled her lips and pulled back a smirk.

Candy didn’t find Aunt Elroy’s information to be particularly fascinating as her mind was completely occupied with questions of a certain tall, blond man that was still missing. So instead of responding, without being able to subdue the eagerness in her tone, she inquired, “How many god cousins do I have, aunt? Are they all here at the mansion today?”

A look of confusion appeared on Aunt Elroy’s face. “What do you mean by that, Candice?” Aunt Elroy paused for a second before her eyes lightened up as a thought crossed her mind. “Oh! I see. Perhaps, you are referring to Neil?”

“Neil…” Candy repeated in a whisper. She heard the name before – she was sure of that. Albert and Neil – were they the same person? As she was deep in her pondering, she missed seeing the exchange of befuddled looks among her god cousins.

“Neil and his sister Elisa unfortunately had to return to Florida this morning and will not be able to join us. But you will surely meet them at the party next month,” Aunt Elroy explained.

Snickering, Archie chimed in, “Trust me – you’re not going to miss them very much, Miss White.”

Candy shifted her attention to Archie, cocking an eyebrow. She had no idea why he seemed to be not very fond of Neil and his sister.

Aunt Elroy turned her head sharply to face Archie. “Archibald – that’s enough!” she retorted. The irritated look on her face morphed into a smile as she turned to face Candy and Aunt Mary. “Shall we move to the parlor to continue our talk while enjoying some afternoon snacks?” Just after she had said that, an expression of concern suddenly surfaced on her visage “Heavens! How could I be so inconsiderate? You two must be exhausted from the long journey. I will have Jefferson take you to your rooms instead.”

Waving her hand in the air, Aunt Mary promptly replied, “No need, Elroy. We are perfectly fine. We had plenty of rest during the train ride. Didn’t we, Candice?” She took a glance at her.

Candy restrained the urge to roll her eyes at Aunt Mary and just nodded silently in response.

Aunt Elroy smiled with satisfaction, her hand rising slightly in an elegant gesture. “Well then, shall we?”

As they were about to leave the foyer, Anthony briskly interrupted, “Would you like to come with us instead, Miss Candice?” He passed her a kind smile and suggested, “We can give you a quick tour of the mansion.”

Candy was elated by the offer, but without giving the petite blond a chance to even open her mouth, Aunt Elroy quickly replied on her behalf, “Anthony – I appreciate you being courteous to our guest, but I have plenty of matters I want to discuss with Candice now. Perhaps, you can invite her again tomorrow after we have our brunch?”

Discerning the unyielding gleam in his aunt’s dark eyes, Anthony forced a smile on his face as he struggled to keep the disappointment from showing. “Certainly, Aunt. With your permission.” He made a small bow before turning toward the petite blond. “I’ll see you in a bit, Miss Candice.”

Candy nodded, smiling halfheartedly. “Sure, Anthony.”

Right after that, Archie and Stear excused themselves as well. Candy watched her three god cousins walked away and could only smile weakly at their retreating forms. She and her aunt were then ushered into a spacious room inside the mansion that was decorated with priceless antique artifacts that had been acquired from all over the world.

*******************

Thereafter, time seemed to stay at a standstill for Candy. She had lost track of how long she had been trapped inside the parlor with absolutely no way out for her this time. The situation was utterly hopeless for her. Pricking her fingertips with the sharp edges of her nails had been the only source of entertainment for her just to keep herself awake. As time went by, she felt that it had become more and more like a torture for her, being forced to listen to Aunt Elroy and Aunt Mary conversing nonstop, jumping from one banal topic to another.

In the beginning, it was not as terrible since, albeit unwilling, she had been an active participant in the conversations as the three of them had discussed details pertaining to the upcoming event. But later the topics had veered off completely, and she could care less about what Madam Gertrude wore to church last Sunday. She regretted she hadn’t accepted her god cousins’ invitation. _Well, it’s not like I was given a choice._

The truth was that she would love to spend time to get to know her cousins more and maybe at the same time could learn more about the mysterious Albert Andrew. Who was he really? Was that his real name, or his real name was supposed to be Neil Andrew? She wasn’t sure, but she knew with absolute certainty that he had to be an Andrew and most possibly from the direct lineage since only a true Andrew could carry the Andrews’ badge. Even though she had known Aunt Elroy for a long time and had interacted with her on several occasions, however, that had not been the case with the other members of her family.

She had spent most of her adolescent years in Virginia while most of the young members of the Andrews had been in London attending school. The only way she could learn anything about her god cousins or the other member of the family had been through Aunt Elroy, but Aunt Elroy had seldom mentioned anything about them. Today had been her first time meeting her god cousins. She could’ve met them earlier, two weeks ago, in Lakewood Estate, if she had not run away from her party. _Oh well. At least, I finally met them in person today._

As Candy started to seriously consider pretending to be attacked by a fainting spell, just so she could escape the current dire situation, following a soft knock, the door suddenly swung open. A tall figure, dressed in a dark-colored, fine Italian suit, strode inside with hasty steps, heading toward the center of the room.

“William!” Aunt Elroy called out in a loud voice.

He made a quick bow. “Good afternoon, aunt. My apology for the delay. I didn’t realize traffic can be bad during…” His sentence was left hanging when his gaze met hers as she stared at him in bewilderment.

He swallowed nervously. “Miss White-“

Forgoing etiquette protocol, she rose to her feet and approached the tall blond man. “William? You – you’re William?” she pointed her shaking finger at him, her brows crinkling slightly. Confusion was gradually replaced by indignation as the horrible feeling that she had been deceived being the object of a practical joke grew inside of her.

“Candice!” Aunt Mary exclaimed with reproach as she practically stumbled out of her seat to stand on her feet.

Aunt Elroy turned her head back and forth, alternating to look at her and William. “You two have met already?” Aunt Elroy asked in a surprised voice as she slowly stood up from her seat.

“Long story ” the blond man simply told them while his eyes remained focus on Candy’s face.

The next thing he did stunned the older female occupants in the room as a chorus of sharp intake of breaths could be heard in the room.

Swiftly, he grasped Candy’s hand, holding it firmly in his, and tugged her along with him toward the door. She was completely taken aback that she couldn’t even react, and only when she felt the slight pull on her hand, she realized what had happened. She glared at her captor, but his attention seemed to be somewhere else.

Without loosening his hold on her hand, he swiveled to face the older women, and the movement caused her to turn around also. “Forgive me, aunt, Mrs. White” He bowed slightly at Aunt Elroy and moved his attention toward Aunt Mary, making another small bow. “I would like to take Candy for a walk, and we shall return before dinner time. I hope that would not interfere with your plan.”

Aunt Elroy’s thin lips arched into a full smile. With a graceful movement of hand in the air, she answered, “Oh please, go right on ahead, William. Dinner is not going to be served in at least two hours from now. The weather is so lovely today – it will be such a waste for you two young people to stay inside and not enjoy it to the fullest. ” Lifting an eyebrow, Aunt Elroy glanced at Aunt Mary. “Wouldn’t you agree, Mary?”

The older women exchanged quick smiles. “Absolutely, Elroy.” Aunt Mary turned to face the blond man and gave him her consent as well. “Take your time, William. You have nothing to worry about.”

Candy was just about to open her mouth to voice out her objection, but when her eyes met Aunt Mary’s stern glare, sending her a clear warning signal, she knew that her fate had been sealed. Releasing a sigh of resignation, she bit her bottom lip to contain her frustration.

“Thank you. With your permission.” Albert made a small bow, and she forced herself to mimic after him in silence.

*******************

Without saying anything, he dragged her across the long hallway and several flights of stairs before they were finally out of the mansion. As they stepped outside into the verandah, she wiggled her hand furiously, attempting to loosen his hold on her. “Let me go,” she wailed.

Instead of releasing her, he just sent her a subtle smile. “I’m sorry but I’m not going to yet. Clearly, we need to talk in private. And I know just the place for that,” he told her with an obvious resolution in his voice while maintaining their steps.

“What?” she blurted in anger. “Where are you taking me?”

He merely said, “You’ll see soon.” He smiled cryptically at her before he whirled his head back to the front and accelerated the pace of their steps.

Candy took a couple of furtive glances at the blond man and noted the determined look set on his face. It became clear to her that he was very serious about his intention, and there was nothing else she could do at the moment but to comply. They moved along the small dirt path that meandered through a well-kept garden that burgeoned with blooming colorful flowers of many species, a sparkling blue lake standing as the backdrop. Unfortunately, she was too rattled and clearly not in the mood to bask in the beautiful scenery.

As they moved closer toward the body of water, in front of them, she could see a dock jutting out into the vast lake that seemed to run all the way into the horizon. He led them to stride forward and stepped onto the dock. Only the knocking sound of the soles of their shoes hitting the wooden dock could be heard as they made their way along the dock.

At the spot that was approximately halfway from the end of the dock, he slowed down their steps before stopping completely. “Please wait here,” looking over his shoulder, he told her as he continued to step forward, leaving her by herself. Then, to her utter shock, he just leaped off from the right edge of the dock, disappearing from her sight.

“Albert!”

Candy rushed to the right end of the dock in panic, her heart hammering violently against her chest. She looked down to find a smaller wooden platform floating on the water but with no sign of him. Lowering herself down to sit on her knees and stretching out her upper body forward, she searched for his figure only to find Albert standing on his feet with his back leaning comfortably against the supporting pole right underneath her. She rolled her eyes at him in annoyance for provoking an unnecessary anxiety attack within her. He instructed her to jump to him, but she blatantly refused to follow his direction this time.

Without even giving her a courtesy warning, he just lifted her up by the waist and carried her toward a small rowboat that was tethered to the small landing. “Albert – you better put me down. Right now!” she demanded in a furious shout while struggling frantically to free herself out of his arms.

Dismissing her threat, he just cautioned her lightly, “If you don’t want both of us to plunge into the water, I suggest you stop moving around.”

Candy stopped her thrashing instantly and turned her head away from Albert to see the boat was only a step away from them. He lowered her down and helped her to stand on her feet. With his other foot planted on the dock, he stepped onto the boat’s deck carefully, causing the boat to sway toward them. Wordlessly, he coaxed her to board the boat and assisted her to sit on the bench near the stern. She shifted on the narrow wooden plank to find a comfortable sitting position, smoothing her dress down along her legs.

In the mean time, Albert focused his attention on adjusting his attire to make it more suitable for the activity that he was about to partake in. He took off his suit jacket and removed his silk tie, laying them on the wooden floating dock. After he unmoored the boat by unfastening the rope that had been securely knotted unto a post, he settled himself on the seat facing her. The boat slowly moved being carried along by the current. Once he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows, he grabbed the two oars from the deck floor, gripping them by the handles, and secured them onto the rowlocks on the sides of the boat. He purposefully let the boat drift a few feet away from the floating dock before beginning to row.

*******************

A tranquil atmosphere encompassed them as the boat sliced through the calm water, slowly gliding across the lake. The calm lake glimmered under the late afternoon sun. The sky was especially blue that day with scarce thin wisps of clouds. The flapping of wings from a flock of birds flying low and the quacking from water fowls frolicking in the water could be heard echoing intermittently across the otherwise serene lake.

Despite the peaceful scenery that surrounded her, Candy felt her patience had dwindled bit by bit due to the fact that there hadn’t been any sign indicating that Albert would take the initiative to open his mouth to say anything, even when he was the one who had suggested that they urgently needed to talk.

“I thought you said a walk – this is clearly not a walk,” her sarcastic voice dispersed the quietness between them.

Stifling a chuckle, he shifted his attention away from navigating the boat and told her, “I have to take all the precautions. I want to make sure we can talk without any interruptions.” His eyes gleaming with sincerity focused on hers. “Please forgive me, if my treatment of you had been harsh earlier.”

His chaste apology was not sufficient to pacify her as she was still very much consumed by exasperation. And she clearly did not appreciate him skirting around the pressing issue any longer – she just wanted to get to the bottom of it now. “You lied to me, Sir William Andrew,” she accused him straightforwardly, brushing off his words of regret earlier, her round green eyes glowing fiercely.

“Because I said we were going to take a walk?” he asked, feigning cluelessness.

Growing more irritated by his seemingly indifferent attitude, she shook her head vehemently and snapped at him, “No!” She threw him an accusing glare. “You lied to me and pretended to be someone else.”

He shrugged off her accusation with a soft chuckle. “I did not,” he merely disagreed with her assertion.

Her eyes widened in indignation upon hearing his curt denial. “But you told me your name was Albert.” She faintly snorted in an un-lady like manner. “Albert and William – I don’t know how you could not tell the difference. Do you even know what your real name is?” she questioned in a mocking tone.

He couldn’t contain another chortle from escaping his mouth. “Albert is my middle name,” he told her simply and added, “And I gave you my badge too – you should know my last name by that time.”

She repressed the urge to scream at him in frustration. “You’re unbelievable. As if giving me a hint about your family name could tell me anything. Without your first real name, how could I know your true identity?” she contended. Then, as a rather disturbing thought surfaced in her mind, her green eyes flashed with unveiled pique. “You knew all along, didn’t you? Were you sent by Aunt Elroy to chase after me?”

“Ah! You’re very wrong, Candice,” shaking his head calmly, he told her. “First of all, I was out there in the woods out of my own free will. And secondly, when we first met, I had no idea who you were. Lastly, I only learned of your true identity much later, once we were back in the garden.”

“And you didn’t even bother to reveal yourself to me at that time,” she muttered under her breath with a mixture of chagrin and vexation in her tone.

He heard what she had said and stopped his rowing instantly. Casting her a rueful smile, he said in a clear voice, “You are right – I didn’t. I apologize if you think that I have been misleading you.” He paused briefly before adding, “But I do have my own rationale for not doing that.”

He stopped talking and waited for her to say something, but her mouth remained tightly shut. After a brief moment of silence, he eventually continued, “Since I knew that day was your birthday, I didn’t want to ruin it for you, especially after what you told me about being tricked by your aunt. I didn’t want to make it worse for you by revealing my real identity as your fiancé. I wasn’t sure how you would react, so I decided not to take any risk and just waited until another opportunity comes.” He paused and drew in a breath. “I hope you understand my reasoning now.” He held her eyes with his in a tender gaze.

By the time he had finished talking, her anger had dissolved into a mere frustration but not toward him – she was upset at herself now. The drastic change in emotions that was triggered by his explanation threw her off-kilter. She spun her head sideways abruptly to evade looking at him directly. She acknowledged what he had just said was the truth and couldn’t find another valid reason that she could use to argue his point.

A specific part of their conversation in the garden in Lakewood, in which she had casually derided her ‘fiancé’ in front of him, came to her mind. From the way she had behaved at that time, she certainly hadn’t given him any hint that she cherished her betrothed that much. She really couldn’t blame him anymore now for keeping mum about his identity, especially the part about him being her fiancé. A feeling of utter remorse began to flourish in her heart. She most probably had overreacted earlier, acting like an immature little girl and could only hope that he hadn’t thought the same about her.

A moment of peaceful silence with only the splashing sound from the oars striking the water surface reigned between them. As he continued rowing the boat, he observed her quietly and noticed how lovely she appeared today in her cream colored dress with her curly blond tresses cascading freely down to her back.

His eyes fixed on her profile unblinking when, suddenly, a gust of wind blew and caused the loose golden strands from her hair to dance around freely in the air, partly impeding her face. The picture of loveliness that was produced took his breath away, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from looking at her. The image slowly lured his mind to wander away into a completely different territory.

Realizing the direction his imagination had strayed into, he quickly captured his unbridled thoughts and brought his attention back to his current task of propelling the boat. He was then being reminded of the fact that there was still another matter that they still needed to discuss. With that thought in his mind, he decided to engage her back into a dialogue, steering them into another topic where he could finally divulge to her his intention, other than the one about clearing their misunderstanding.

*******************

“So… Miss White,” he began as Candy turned her head back to face him. “I have decided to annul our engagement.”

She stared blankly for a few seconds before straining a smile to mask her tumultuous mind. “It’s Candy, not Miss White,” she corrected quickly and then told him, wearing a complacent look on her face, “I’m glad you see it my way, Sir William.” Despite the air of aloofness that she projected, she was actually in a very disconcerted state. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was utterly disappointed by his decision.

He raised an eyebrow at the formal way she had referred to him. “You’re not even the slightest bit interested to know why I did that?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Why? It doesn’t matter, right? An arranged marriage is just so ridiculous and so old fashioned,” she stated with a hint of revulsion in her voice.

He chuckled lightly. “Well, I agree with you on that regard.” He ceased his chuckling and said, “But I have another reason.”

She glanced at him with a dubious look. “Another reason? Should I be worried?” She asked, crossing her arms against her chest while she fought to suppress the consternation from showing on her face. The last thing she wanted to hear right now was him telling her that he was in love with someone else.

Disregarding her sarcastic remark, he told her, “From the very beginning, I decided that I will only marry a woman of my own choice.”

She wasn’t sure she was happy with what she had just learned from him. Heaving a long sigh, she uncrossed her arms. “I see… ” Her eyes averted his gaze. “It looks like we share a similar philosophy. That’s good – I don’t need to explain anything now.” She forced herself to revert her focus back on him, giving him a small smile, and said, “It has been a pleasure meeting you, but I must say that it looks like we will be going on our separate ways soon and- “

A stream of chuckles stopped her from talking at once, and she gave him a quizzical look, wondering whether she had said anything funny.

He promptly told her, “I don’t think so, Candice. I’m afraid it will not be that easy for you to get rid of me.” His clear blue eyes regarded hers intently. “On the other hand, I think we’ll be seeing each other more often very soon.” The determination was clear in his voice and his face.

“Huh? But didn’t you just say that…” His comment made her feel utterly lost.

He smiled reassuringly at her. “Don’t worry – I always keep my words. I will make the announcement pertaining to the cancellation of our engagement as soon as we’re back inside the mansion, ” he explained to her in a firm voice. When he saw that he still had her full attention, he continued, “But I also want to let you know that I have every intention to court you and make you fall madly in love with me. When the time comes, I will propose to you myself and by then you will not be able to refuse.” His head tilted at an angle while a faint smirk materialized on his lips.

The nonchalant manner he had assumed to deliver his message almost made her miss the significance of it. As her brain reprocessed his words, she felt the quickening in her pulse, her face turning beet red. She couldn’t believe that he had actually said that so easily. Feeling unsure of what to do now, she brought her eyes hastily to focus on him. “Alb- Wil-…” she sputtered, spouting incoherently.

He chuckled, looking at her glowering. “You can call me Albert, Candy. I actually like that more than William,” he suggested lightly.

Her mouth opened slightly before she quickly shut it tight again. She then whirled her head to the side, avoiding direct eye contact with him. It was difficult for her to determine whether he truly meant what he had said or not. And at the moment, she was not too keen to put more effort to delve into it more. But she couldn’t deny the fact that she was quite affected by his words. She immediately cautioned herself that there was no point to let herself get carried away just by what the man had said. There was absolutely no true basis for her to believe him – she still knew nothing about him. In the end, she resolved that he had only been teasing her.

Absentmindedly, she lowered her hand closer to the surface of the water and dipped it in slightly. The feel of cool water on the tips of her fingers startled her a bit. Her lips twisted into a mischievous smirk as an idea simmered in her head. Abruptly, she brought her hand out of the water, cradling some liquid unto her palm. Then, with a sudden powerful swing of her arm, the droplets of water flew right onto Albert’s face.

“Hey!” Yelping loudly, Albert flinched when a sprinkle of cold water hit the warm skin on his face. He looked toward her to see her sitting quietly on her seat with an innocent smile on her face, her folded hands resting on her lap.

Her eyes caught his rapid hand movement as he lowered his cupped-hand into the water, but it had been too late for her to dodge the attack. The cool liquid collided against her face in a hard impact. “Albert!” she cried and passed him an exaggerated angry look while he only roared in laughter.

Candy’s face and a portion of her hair were wet now. She observed him quietly from her seat, and it appeared that he was still too absorbed in his laughing to be able to pay attention at her. She smirked inwardly as she thought that now would be the perfect opportunity to retaliate. Swiftly, she sprayed another scoop of water at him, causing him to halt his laughing in an instant. His blue eyes clashed with her green ones in a glaring contest. Then simultaneously, they briskly turned facing the lake and immersed their hands into the water.

What ensued between them next was an all out intense water combat. Using their hands, they raced to out-splash each other with as much water as they could scoop out from the lake. Their frantic movements caused the boat to rock turbulently on the water. A few moments later, once they were both mostly soaked, panting out of breath, he finally called a truce to stop the battle. If he hadn’t, they would probably continue and might end up capsizing the rowboat due to the vigorous agitation.

They were already thoroughly drenched. Their sopping wet hairs were plastered onto their faces with water trickling down from the clumped tendrils. Their clothes were sodden, and the material clung tightly to their skin. Fortunately, the day was unseasonably hot, and the sun shone brightly transmitting its warmth unto them while a tepid breeze blew gently.

When their sights fell on each other, they saw how they each looked like they had been dunked into the lake and burst in hearty laughter, their loud laughs resounding all the way across the quiet lake. Gradually, the fits of laughter diminished into few chuckles before they faded out, leaving only contented grins on their faces. Their eyes met in a gaze, and the smiles dissolved slowly from their faces as their gazing grew in intensity. Then, as if being pulled by an unknown gravity, they leaned closer and closer toward each other.

When Candy finally came to her senses, there were only a few inches left separating their faces. Noticing that the tips of their noses barely touched, she jerked backward in reflex. But before she could withdraw completely, Albert’s hand swiftly moved to cradle her nape, preventing her from pulling farther away.

Nervously, she willed herself to meet his eyes. The second her eyes locked with his electrifying blue ones, whatever words she had wanted to articulate vanished from her mind.

“You are beautiful when you smile, Candy,” he murmured hoarsely as he ran his palm against the damp pale skin on her cheek down to the underside of her jaw, his thumb lightly caressing the delicate flesh across her bottom lip, his eyes focusing on her lips.

His gentle ministration caused her heart to skip a beat and her breathing to cease momentarily as she seemed to suddenly forget how to breathe through her nose.

All coherent thoughts forsook her being entirely when his smooth lips grazed against hers, and slowly her eyes closed in their own accord. He gently melded her lips with his by kneading them in a rhythmical movement, slowly increasing the pressure that he applied on her lips. The maneuver triggered a rush of delightful sensations running through her insides as her hands grabbed tightly onto the wet fabric of his shirt sleeves for support in a seemingly desperate manner while a weak whimper was being emitted from her throat. With great reluctance, he slowed down the pace, pressing several fleeting kisses against her lips, before he withdrew slightly from her, heaving heavily. Her eyes remained shut as the haze in her mind slowly began to clear away, her heart thumping wildly inside her chest, her breathing erratic.

Albert leaned his temple gently onto hers. “It looks like that you agree to our courtship,” he let out in a guttural voice.

Her eyelids lifted halfway as she peered at him shyly from under her lashes. “You were not joking… ” she uttered in a soft whisper with a hint of disbelief in her tone.

He suddenly pulled away from her in an abrupt movement, breaking her out of her momentarily trance, and took several deep breaths before he finally said, “Let me just say that you’re quite mistaken if you think I’m going to let a beautiful woman that shares my passion and my belief go just like that. I’ve been searching for someone like you all this time, and it turns out that I’ve been betrothed to one since I was young.” She remained silent as he let out a wistful chuckle before he continued, “If I had known that, I would have never kept skipping out on our meetings.” He brought his eyes to meet hers in a gaze. “And do you know that our engagement was originally planned to be formalized when you turned eighteen?”

“Eighteen?” she asked with uncertainty in her voice while her brain dug deeper into the well of her memory.

He nodded to affirm. “We’re supposed to be formally engaged by then. But somehow I was able to convince my aunt that we should wait until you’re twenty-one.”

 _Eighteen?_ That was three years ago, and she had just graduated from high school. Candy couldn’t imagine what would have happened if she had met Albert then or before that. Now that she thought about it more, she recalled a couple of instances in which she and her fiancé William were supposed to meet in a more casual setting, and in each of the occasions, Aunt Elroy had to apologize on behalf of her nephew for suddenly being unavailable. She was about to make a quip to respond to him when she saw his face lean toward hers.

And a fraction of a second later, he stole one quick kiss from her lips.

The brief brushing on her lips made her green eyes grow wide in astonishment, pink blushes tinting her cheeks. “Did you just?” Her fingers moved to touch her lips.

“What?” he asked, casting her an innocent look.

His nonchalance grated on her nerves. How could he act like nothing had happened between them? At least they should talk first before… _Before what? Before they went back to share another passionate kiss?_ She couldn’t believe she had just thought that. By now the soft color on her cheeks had darkened into bright red.

“Are you referring to the kiss?” Albert questioned in a casual tone, catching her off guard.

Candy recovered from her stupor quickly and repelled any unwholesome thoughts from her mind. Noticing the smug smile on his face, she definitely didn’t want to give him any hint that she was quite fine to be the recipient of his kisses. “What do you think?” she muttered.

“I don’t remember you were complaining when we kissed earlier,” he simply pointed out, letting out a half chuckle.

Candy’s mouth hung open as she couldn’t deny his claim. Once again, she found herself tongue-tied, unable to form a response to him. As she contemplated what to do next, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the water lapped gently against the side of the boat, and immediately she knew what she could do now. She brought her hand down toward the water.

But as she hurled her hand in mid air, he seized it by the wrist. “No more,” he warned her in a low voice. His eyes locked on hers.

He abruptly pulled her toward him, causing her to lose her balance. The impact threw him backward onto the bow deck as she fell right onto him, her soft frame pressing down onto his firm one. Realizing their improperly intimate position, their bodies wrapped in their soaked clothes pushing against each other’s, she immediately attempted to move away but to no avail since he held on tightly to her. Seeing that it was a lost cause to attempt to overpower his physical strength that is clearly way above hers, she just barraged him with words.

All the while, in his mind, Albert cursed at himself for making the decision to void their engagement. Now, he had to wait longer, but for how long? Dispelling any unpleasant thoughts from his mind, he brought his focus back on the lovely angel resting on top of him.

The protest died on her tongue instantly as her body became still.

He cradled her head gently with both hands and guided it to move down closer to his. He then proclaimed to himself that their courtship began in that instant before his lips found hers again in another round of delicious kisses. “It isn’t a spring fling, sweet Candy,” he murmured against her soft lips, vouching that this was just the beginning for them.

*******************

Meanwhile, some distance away, onshore, two women’s eyes were strained to focus upon a sight of a small rowboat floating on the vast lake.

“It looks like that we did well this time, Elroy,” Aunt Mary commented.

One corner of Aunt’s Elroy’s lips lifted into a faint smile. “I couldn’t agree more with you, Mary. Those two were just too stubborn.”

“Even destiny needs our help,” Aunt Mary added, without moving her eyes from the object on the lake.

Aunt Elroy glanced toward her friend. “But the proper credit should go to George,” she confided. “It was his proposal to use the skunk. I would never think of doing anything with that filthy creature, if it were not for him.” A grimace crossed her face for a split second. “I must say that was quite an ingenious idea.”

The two older women exchanged looks and broke into laughter.

*******************

A while later, after dragging their drenched forms into the mansion while dismissing sporadic audible gasps and astonished stares from all around them, Candy and Albert rushed to change and prepared for dinner. True to his words, he made the announcement about revoking the engagement in the dining room right when dinner was about to be served. Before Aunt Elroy and Aunt Mary could express their opinions on the news, he quickly added that a formal courtship between them would commence immediately. A moment of absolute silence ensued. After a few seconds passed, Aunt Elroy expelled a discrete cough that was proceeded by her vote of approval. Soon, a stream of congratulatory smiles emerged on the faces of the occupants across the long table, and the once stiff and orderly atmosphere was quickly displaced by jubilant chatter and cheerful laughter. With that, Albert and Candy officially became a couple.

It was well into the evening when Albert walked Candy to her bedroom door.

“Candy – could you please return my badge?” he asked. His upturned hand was extended toward her.

She tilted her head to the side a she wasn’t sure what he was alluding to.

He must have seen the uncertain look on her face since he quickly added, “Do you remember what I had said that evening in Lakewood? I-“

“Will give you a more proper gift next time we meet…” she finished the sentence for him, reciting his words that had been branded to her mind since she had heard them on the evening of her birthday.

He half-chuckled in response. “I see that you haven’t forgotten.” He paused and shoved his hand inside his pocket. “It’s not an engagement ring – but these should be a good start.” He pulled out his clenched hand and slowly unfurled his fingers to reveal five pieces of vividly colored candies made of fine Murano glass. “Happy belated birthday, sweet Candy.” His blue eyes regarded her with affection, a gentle smile gracing his lips.

She lowered her eyes to look down at his hand. When her eyes fell on the colorful glass candies, the corners of her lips stretched to the sides into a wide grin. With one eyebrow slightly raised, she uttered, “Candies?”

Yes – Albert was truly a man that kept true to his words, but he could also be quite whimsical. When she asked why he had given her glass candies, he shrugged at her question with a smile and told her that when he had searched for her gift ‘sweet candy’ just persistently flashed inside his mind and before he knew it, he had procured the items from his colleague’s collection.

The man just couldn’t stop to impress her and continued to prove to her the sincerity of his intention. In reality, however, he probably didn’t need to put too much effort to woo her – as he had already captured her heart the moment she had gazed right into a pair of smiling sky-blue eyes while she sat on top of an old oak tree. It was only a matter of time before she fell hopelessly in love with him, and it didn’t take her long at all to reach that stage.

*******************

It was a balmy late afternoon on Saturday when Candy found herself standing by one particular oak tree in the woodland. Earlier, Albert had invited her for a quick stroll in the woods before they headed out for dinner in a restaurant, and she had spontaneously welcomed the idea. They had walked for a few minutes until he excused himself to go check on Pouppe. She quickly offered to come with him, but he refused to let her accompany him, arguing that he didn’t want to ruin her shoes and her dress. Eventually, though very reluctantly, she conceded.

As she let her eyes scan the familiar surroundings, she released a blissful sigh. Three months had passed since she had crossed paths with a skunk after she had fled away from her fiancé only to unknowingly fall right into his arms, so to speak. She let out a soft giggle at the absurdity of their first meeting. If they both hadn’t escaped from the party – their own engagement party – they might have met under a very different circumstance. It turned out that Albert had been completely in the dark as well with respect to their supposed engagement party and had only discovered about it right after the party had started.

Apparently, he had been just as ungrateful as she had been with regard to their so-called marriage arrangement that had been the product of an agreement between their parents and had vehemently expressed his opposition to the idea, vowing to dissolve the engagement. The only reason why Albert had not broken off the engagement was because he wanted to meet with his betrothed first before making any public announcement and convinced her that the commitment between them had been a terrible mistake.

However, he had not counted the possibility that he could fall in love with his fiancée, even right at their first encounter. Alas, that had actually happened. Perhaps, their parents had had an insight into the future when they had made the pact to join their son and daughter in an arranged marriage. Or perhaps it was just meant to be – it was their destiny.

Her reverie was halted when she felt something pressed against the side of her calf. Looking down, Candy saw Pouppe standing on its hind legs by her side. She instantly felt a déjà vu. A smile formed on her lips. “Hello, Pouppe. Where’s your handsome owner?” Her eyes automatically shifted to the small item clamped inside Pouppe’s claws. “What do you have there with you?” She lowered herself into a squatting position and reached her hand out to take the object from Pouppe. It was a black jewelry case. Thinking that this must be one of Albert’s pranks, she flipped open the box carelessly.

A loud gasp was the only sound she could manage to produce, her eyes brimming with tears. “Albert… ” she whispered breathlessly as she stared at the diamond solitaire ring inside the box while her other hand flew to cover her mouth, tears trickling down to her chin.

Albert stepped out of his hiding place behind one of the trees and approached her quickly, kneeling in front of her. Without moving from her spot, she raised her head slowly to face him. He moved her hand that was on her face and used his fingers to wipe off the droplets of tears on her face. His blue eyes held hers in a loving gaze as he took the jewelry case gingerly from her hand. “Please – let me… “

Surrounded by nature in the woodland in Lakewood, right in front of the old oak tree, with both knees on the ground, Albert proposed to Candy. “Candice White – would you give me the greatest joy by becoming my wife?”

And just as he had predicted, when they had been in a rowboat in Chicago, she could not refuse. Unable to articulate an answer, she just flung herself into his arms in uncontrolled excitement, toppling them both onto the ground, before they eventually lost themselves in passionate kisses to celebrate the new milestone in their relationship. Approximately three months after her birthday had passed, he had fulfilled his other promise – that he would ask for her hand himself.

Initially, Albert and Candy had wanted to wait until the following year for their wedding, specifically choosing the date to fall on the seventh of May, the same date as her birthday and the anniversary of their first meeting. But as his work obligation demanded more and more of his time with the possibility of him leaving on an extended business trip for at least six months, they had mutually agreed to advance their wedding date by a few months. Finally, in the cold month of December, inside the Lakewood Mansion, witnessed by their loved ones and many others, William Albert Andrew and Candice White were joined in Holy Matrimony, pledging eternal devotion to each other. And under the thunderous clapping of hands, they sealed their promise in a sweet kiss.

Even though their story might have been a whirlwind romance that had begun from a spring fling, the love that was born out of it was everlasting. Following the winter wedding, the happy couple set sail on a journey around the world to begin a new chapter in their new life as a married couple.

And with that, their story continued…

**THE END**

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, my heartfelt gratitude goes to my lovely beta readers. Thank you for your invaluable suggestions and comments, gals. This fic will not be here without your diligence and hard work. :)
> 
> Also, I want to mention that three Candy Candy drawings, two from Igarashi and one from the ever talented Lezti B., inspired three scenes in the fic. In addition, I want to thank Leti Q. for her wonderful coloring work on the two manga images.
> 
> And finally...
> 
> As much as I want to continue, this is truly the end. I hope you find the conclusion satisfying. I’m so happy I actually completed writing one Candy Candy fic, granted it’s a short one. The idea from the fic came when I thought about what would happen should Albert and Candy meet under a very different circumstance and what would happen if Candy wasn’t an orphan. From there, the plot for the fic sprouted. What could be a better way than to use Candy’s birthday as the background for the story? Since her birthday falls on spring, I decided to make the tone of this fic warm and fluffy just like spring. When I first started writing the fic, I never expected it would be so much fun to write. And since it’s AU, I have more freedom to do whatever I want. That’s all for now. I need to get back to my writing and finish the other chapters of my other fics. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read this.


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